Breath of Life
by elirian
Summary: When the lines between past and present blur, Kaiba finds himself reliving the fear of losing Yami to the shadows once more. KAIBA/YAMIYUGI
1. Same Mistake

**Breath of Life**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Kaiba/Yami – Seto/Atem**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.**

**Summary: When the lines between past and present blur, Kaiba finds himself reliving the fear of losing Yami to the shadows once more. KAIBA/YAMIYUGI and SETO/ATEM **

**A/N: Inspired by the House of Flying Daggers and the LOTR The Two Towers soundtracks. I've been in a slump lately and wanted to write something to suit my mood and here's the end result. Blergh, I don't know if it's any good but it's out now. It's based VERY LOOSELY on canon, which means that Seto Kaiba is still an arrogant CEO and Yami is still a 3000 year old pharaoh, but I have changed certain facts about the AE arc and thus this story can probably be considered an AU. It was also originally intended to be a oneshot, but it turned out to be too long and I decided to split it into multiple parts. It won't be a long fic, three or four chapters at most. **

**Please be kind and leave a review! Thanks! **

* * *

_Seto pushed the transparent drapes apart and stepped into the pharaoh's private bathing chambers. The smoke from all the incense burners lazily flowed around him, caressing his warm skin in a soft, seductive manner which proceeded to set all of his nerves on fire. The priest stepped further into the chamber and he felt his desire increase when his gaze finally settled upon the small figure sitting on the edge of the large, luxurious bath. _

_Atem had one foot dipped in the water along with the tip of his almost translucent robe that barely hid his perfect, tanned body from Seto's hungry eyes. An amused smile settled upon Atem's face and Seto knew that his pharaoh had noticed his presence, but Atem chose to remain silent and allow Seto's eyes to drink him in. The brunet couldn't help but feel grateful for his pharaoh's divine gift._

_Finally, after a few minutes, his own patience had worn thin and to look at Atem was no longer enough. He walked towards his pharaoh, but with deliberate slowness so as not to betray the eagerness that he was really feeling._

_Seto smirked when Atem finally acknowledged his presence with a sharp, impatient look. He loved teasing his younger cousin almost as much as Atem adored teasing him, and a small thrill couldn't help but pass through him whenever he managed to shatter his pharaoh's renowned patience and self control. _

_"You kept me waiting." Atem accused softly. "Was there something more important than your pharaoh?" _

_Seto ignored his cousin's question, and sat beside his beloved cousin and gently touched the side of Atem's exposed neck. All his ceremonial jewels and make-up were gone, and yet even without them he managed to look every inch the demigod he was proclaimed to be. _

_Seto leaned closer and touched his lips to his cousin's soft skin. He heard Atem's sharp intake of breath and grinned while both the brunet's hands came up and gently pushed the robe off of Atem's shoulders. _

_"You are deliberately ignoring my question." Atem whispered, but didn't pull away from Seto's touch. _

_"I will tell you all soon enough." Seto replied. "It has been months since I've touched you and I will go insane if you deny me this." _

_Atem sighed at his cousin's words and brought up his own hands to touch and caress Seto in turn. "You know I can deny you nothing." _

_Atem knew of the longing his cousin spoke of. He had felt it himself in the months Seto had been away and had, much to Shimon's immense annoyance, spent most of his days fantasizing about Seto's return. _

_Seto pulled his pharaoh closer so that Atem's back was pressed against his chest, and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. "I have missed you so much." _

_Atem, pleased with the sincerity in his cousin's words, turned his head to get a better look at Seto's handsome face. His cousin's unique appearance had always enthralled the young pharaoh, and Atem could remember how he'd always study Seto when he should have been paying attention to Shimon and his studies. Unfortunately for Atem, his cousin had quickly discovered his crush and had teased him mercilessly for months. The teasing had stopped when Seto had left for a year to finish his training to become a priest, and when he returned things had changed drastically between them. Seto had become just as obsessed with him as he'd been with Seto, and it had been a thrilling and nerve racking experience when their relationship had just begun. _

_They'd both been so carefree then, but now there was a darkness in Seto's eyes that unnerved Atem. Something was stirring in the shadows and Atem knew Seto had felt it too. _

_The brunet had also taken it upon himself to keep Atem from any harm and though the pharaoh was grateful, it also frustrated him that his lover could even think that things could be hidden from him. He was the living Horus after all, and nothing could be kept from him. _

_"You are thinking entirely too hard." Atem smiled again as Seto's voice broke into his thoughts. _

_"You, my priest, are failing in your duties to distract me." Atem teased. _

_Seto growled at his pharaoh's words and wasted no time in getting Atem completely out of his robe. His pharaoh's breathless laughter soon turned into moans as Seto worshipped his smaller body. Atem's groaning was intoxicating, and the way his pharaoh murmured the brunet's name made his head spin with heady desire. He wanted nothing more than to give into his desires and claim Atem as his once more, but the knowledge that Egypt and his pharaoh were in potential harm lingered in the back of his mind and he found himself far too distracted to engage in the pleasurable activities his body demanded of him. _

_"Seto?" Fingers raked through his brown hair and Seto sighed against the golden skin of Atem's firm stomach. "What is it?" Atem sounded worried. Seto frowned and cursed himself for causing his pharaoh to worry. _

_Atem sat up and forced the taller boy to look at him. "Did something happen while you were away?" _

_"Atem..." _

_"If something happened you must tell me!" Atem demanded, but Seto quickly cut him off with a passionate kiss. Atem struggled for a moment, not at all willing to drop the subject so quickly, but Atem eventually gave in when his own desire took over once more. The yearning they had both felt in the months apart only seemed to increase with the kiss, and both of them were desperate to soothe the deep ache within their hearts and bodies. They managed to lose themselves in the kiss for but a few minutes before the need for air, and Seto's need to reassure his pharaoh, made themselves known. _

_"I will tell you everything when we hold a formal meeting, but for now let me just have this moment." Seto promised as he pulled away from the kiss. _

_Atem, a little dazed, nodded. "Very well." Was all his brain could come up with. _

_Seto felt grateful as he leaned his forehead against Atem's bare shoulder. "Thank you." _

_Atem was still a little frightened at Seto's behavior and lack of information, but he could almost feel Seto's desperate need to forget about their troubles and so he was willing to grant his cousin a little reprieve from their duty to act against the threat hiding in the shadows. _

_The pharaoh remained silent as Seto, with a weary sigh, fell on his back on the stone floor. It was only then that Atem noticed how tired and worn out his lover looked and, feeling a little guilty, he climbed on top of the brunet. _

_Atem smiled softly as he leaned forward and caressed his lover's handsome face with the tips of his fingers in hopes of getting rid of the weariness that marred his attractive face. Seto closed his eyes in bliss, smiled at his pharaoh's actions and nipped at Atem's fingers when they finally reached his lips which earned him a chuckle and a kiss on the forehead from the smaller boy. _

_"Your loyalty to your pharaoh should be rewarded." Seto made a slight noise of agreement as Atem kissed his temple. "But you will need to be stripped of your robes in order to receive my divine gift."_

_"I do as my pharaoh commands me." Seto replied. _

_Slowly, almost reverently, Atem stripped him of his priestly garments while placing more kisses on the skin that became exposed when the cloth was stripped away. Atem smirked when Seto was finally undressed of all of his clothing. The look of desire in Atem's eyes was enough to make Seto shiver with anticipation and to increase his own aching need. The fact that he was the one who could completely shatter Atem's aloof façade and put a look of desire in his eyes, never ceased to thrill Seto. The brunet knew, without a doubt, that he was the only one Atem looked at with such a desperate need. In turn, Atem was the only one who could set his skin on fire and send his heart into fits of wild beating. _

_Seto gasped as Atem made his way down the brunet's body and finally, after having paid great attention to every other part of Seto's body, reached the area where the brunet wanted his pharaoh most. He should have known, however, that Atem would only continue teasing him. Seto managed to endure Atem's light touching and barely felt breathing on his aching member for only a few minutes before he became impatient. He growled and thrust his hips up to show his pharaoh how impatient he was, but Atem only laughed at him which served to annoy him even further. _

_"Is there something you want, Seto?" _

_"Yes!" Seto snarled. His blue eyes were wild and he almost looked like a caged animal ready to lash out if he did not get what he wanted. To Atem it was the most alluring thing he had ever seen._

_Seto groaned loudly, as if in pain, when Atem finally took the brunet in his mouth. His hands buried themselves in Atem's hair, but he did not apply pressure, instead he stroked his lover's hair as Atem's head bopped up and down his length. He could feel a tightening sensation in the lower part of his stomach as his pleasure increased to an almost mind numbing level, but he quickly realized this was not how he wanted to reach his orgasm and that he had a desperate desire to come inside his pharaoh, to be connected to him in more intimate levels. _

_"A-Atem. I need…" The pleasure was too much and Seto lost all train of thought. He threw his head back as Atem ignored him and increased the pressure around his cock. Loud pants and moans escaped his parted lips, and the little thought that he had left him completely as lights flashed beneath his eyelids. He could feel his climax approaching with a rapid pace, and another, louder groan spilled from his lips…_

Seto Kaiba sat up in the large bed with a gasp. His breathing was hard and uneven, and he could still feel his skin tingle from the things he had experienced in his dream.

Another dream, Kaiba thought as he fell back onto his bed. He'd been having them sporadically for the last couple of months, but none of them had felt as real as the one he'd just experienced. Usually the brunet would write it off as his imagination getting the better of him and then subsequently forget about it, but this dream was far too different to be pushed to the back of his mind and that aggravated Kaiba immensely.

"What's wrong?"

He turned his head and saw two crimson eyes focused on him. It didn't really surprise him that he had managed to wake Yami; the former pharaoh slept extremely lightly and even the smallest movement could have Yami conscious and fully alert.

"Another nightmare?" Yami questioned. The concern the former pharaoh felt could clearly be seen in his crimson eyes, and Kaiba found himself making an affirmative sound in the back of his throat.

"Something like that."

Though most of the dream had been immensely pleasurable, Kaiba could still remember the fear the priest had felt. The priest's anxiety had passed over to him and Kaiba now felt uneasy about something, but he had no idea what. The irrational dread he now felt, along with the pleasant ache in his groin from the pharaoh's oral activities, only managed to worsen his mood.

Unfortunately, telling himself that he did not believe in his dreams didn't help much either.

Yami placed a hand on Kaiba's chest and slowly slid it down to the brunet's aching erection. The sensual sensation of Yami's hand on his already sensitive skin made him shiver with anticipation, and Kaiba bit his lip in order to stifle a moan when Yami's warm hand wrapped around his cock.

"You're hard." Yami whispered. Kaiba could clearly hear the amusement in his voice, but found that he didn't care about it.

"Yeah." Kaiba's voice broke a little at the incredible feeling of Yami's hand wrapped around him

Yami gave him a little look but said nothing as he climbed on top of Kaiba and straddled his hips. "Want some help?"

Kaiba scoffed at the former pharaoh's stupid question. "Just get on with it if you're going to do something about it."

Yami smirked, but moved down to Kaiba's groin instead of commenting on his obnoxious remark. The dream came flooding back to him and Kaiba could literally see his bedroom being stripped away only to be replaced by the pharaoh's private bathing chambers. Kaiba's eyes widened considerably as he looked up at the stone ceiling above him. He could breathe in the smoke from the incense burners and could feel the cold stone floor beneath him, while a cool breeze coming from outside cooled his heated skin.

Kaiba found himself tearing his gaze away from the ceiling to the person on top of him. The boy on top of him was not Yami the former spirit of the puzzle, as the brunet had expected, but rather Atem the ancient pharaoh. They were the same person, of course, and yet they were also incredibly different. Yami's skin was slightly paler than his ancient form's, his beautiful crimson eyes lacked the dark kohl around them and thus they weren't as dark as Atem's and Yami had a certain amount darkness in him that Atem seemed to have lacked.

Kaiba supposed that being trapped for three thousand years in a mystical puzzle could do that to a person.

It was when Atem looked up at him with half lidded eyes lined with black makeup that the situation dawned on Kaiba. He grabbed the smaller man's shoulders, preventing him from going down on him like Yami or Atem had intended.

He was seeing things, Kaiba told himself firmly. There was absolutely no way that what he was experiencing was real. He was just stressed from work, and Yami's constant psycho blabber about their ancient connection was finally getting to him. Everything still felt incredibly real, however, and no matter how much Kaiba wanted to, he could not deny that.

"Seto? Is something wrong?"

Kaiba blinked and everything returned to normal. He was once again in his warm bed, and the afternoon sun was replaced by the darkness only night had to offer.

"Seto, are you feel-." Yami began, but was quickly cut off by the brunet and his foul mood.

"Just shut up for one second." Kaiba snapped. A headache was forming, and the last thing he wanted was to be interrogated by the former pharaoh.

Yami gave him another look, which bordered on a glare, before climbing off of him. Kaiba felt a little guilty when Yami turned his back to him, but he refused to apologize to the former spirit of the puzzle. Instead he turned around so that his front was pressed against Yami's back. He ignored the tenseness that had come upon Yami's body and wrapped an arm around the former pharaoh to pull him closer. His conciliatory actions were, of course, the closest thing Yami would ever get to an apology.

"I will not let you speak to me that way." Yami hissed. It was something he always said when Kaiba was being particularly rude, and the brunet found himself wondering why he wasn't in the shadow realm yet.

"I know." Kaiba replied simply.

Kaiba buried his face into the crook of Yami's neck and inhaled the former pharaoh's addictive scent. It was one of the things he loved doing most. He'd hold Yami and breathe in his scent whenever he had the chance. Yami never commented on his odd behavior, and Kaiba was very grateful for that. Even though they'd been together for almost a year, certain things still made the brunet very uncomfortable. Lucky enough for him, Yami never expected him to do or say things that he couldn't.

The brunet rolled Yami onto his back and settled himself atop the former pharaoh. He was still aching hard and Kaiba had little desire to hop into a cold shower to get rid of his erection. Not when there was a perfectly willing Yami in his bed anyway.

"You object?"

"No." Yami replied rather breathlessly as Kaiba started moving against him.

"Didn't think so."

Kaiba leaned forward and captured the former pharaoh's lips with his own. Yami moaned into the kiss and draped his arms around Kaiba's neck, while his legs came up and wrapped themselves around the brunet's waist. It wasn't long before the pace with which they moved became frantic and wild, and Yami, unable to do much else, pulled away from the kiss in order to voice his pleasure to the silence around them.

Kaiba groaned loudly, moved a little harder when Yami begged for it and then, while just at the edge of completion, his breath slowed and stopped as reality faded away once more. The change was faster this time, and instead of seeing his room melt away to be replaced by some place that no longer existed, there was a flash and suddenly he found himself behind the pharaoh, taking him hard and fast while the smaller man mewled encouraging words in a language he was certain he should not be able to understand.

Despite his shock, the brunet came with a loud groan that started at the pit of his stomach. His whole body was shaking as the pleasure tore through every nerve in his body and there was very little Kaiba could do to stop it. When his mind came back from the euphoria of his climax, the brunet found himself in his bed, lying on top of Yami while the former pharaoh whispered unknown words in his ear and stroked his hair.

Kaiba almost immediately pulled away from Yami when his thoughts returned to him. He sat on the edge of his bed, and buried his head in his hands as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. Yami sat up behind him and wrapped his arms around the brunet, he then placed a kiss on the brunet's neck to try and soothe him.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked as he tightened his grip on the CEO.

"Nothing." Kaiba snapped, suddenly frustrated and even more than annoyed than before. He stood up, pushing Yami back onto the bed in the process which earned him a startled glance from the former pharaoh. "Nothing's wrong." He repeated, more for his own sake than Yami's. There was no way that the visions he'd seen were even remotely real. He was just tired, nothing more.

"Where are you going?" Yami questioned as Kaiba headed for the bathroom.

"I'm getting ready for work." Kaiba replied. His tone was a little harsher than he had intended, but once again the brunet didn't bother to apologize.

"You can't possibly…" Yami trailed off, half expecting Kaiba to turn around and climb back into bed, but when he saw the brunet was dead serious he decided to argue against Kaiba's desire to go to work a bit more. "It's four in the morning!"

Kaiba ignored Yami and slammed the bathroom door behind him. Before he'd gotten involved with Yami he would often be at the office before dawn, but he'd gotten used to having the former pharaoh in his bed and Yami served to be incredibly tempting early in the mornings. Kaiba supposed it was about time that he got back into his old routine. There were many more important things than snuggling up with Yami anyway. For some reason, his body didn't really agree with him on that one.

He turned the shower on and moved towards the mirror to give himself a quick once over like he did every morning. Kaiba's eyes widened when he saw a man who looked remarkably like him, but different than him as well. His skin was a beautiful golden colour and his blue eyes, the same shade as Kaiba's, were lined with kohl and were incredibly sad. Those sapphire eyes were greatly burdened with heartache and guilt, and unlike Kaiba's own, had no trace of arrogance or anger in them.

'Don't make the same mistake again.' The man Kaiba knew to be his supposed 'ancient self' whispered, and his reflection disappeared to be replaced with Kaiba's own real one.

Kaiba stood, frozen before the mirror, as the priest's words echoed through his mind.

To be continued…

**A/N: Omg I wrote something borderline lemon oO. Can anyone tell how uncomfortable it made me? I know I'm not very good at it, but I gave it a shot anyway. Argh so yeah, the first part of the oneshot turned multi chapter isn't that interesting but hang in there. Hopefully I can get it to be more interesting. Anyway, the title was inspired by two things; Breath of Life is a song in the LOTR TTT soundtrack (the song where Aragorn's half dead and he sees Arwen above him) and Amun (the head of the Egyptian pantheon and later known as Amun-Ra) was once known as the god of air and thus associated with the **_**breath of life**_** and that sealed the deal on the name of this fic. Quite a cool thing, I thought. **

**Please leave a review! I will appreciate it very much and it will inspire me to finish this if anyone's even interested. **


	2. Lost Without You

**Breath of Life**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Kaiba/Yami – Seto/Atem**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.**

**Summary: When the lines between past and present blur, Kaiba finds himself reliving the fear of losing Yami to the shadows once more. KAIBA/YAMI and SETO/ATEM **

**A/N: Before we start I want to say thanks to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Like I mentioned before; I'm taking quite a few liberties with the AE arc so please don't be upset when everything isn't exactly like in the manga/anime. **

**Additional Note: Some you might consider Seto (priest) to be a little OOC in this, BUT I think considering the situation that they're in I think it is something that he would do if desperate enough. **

* * *

**Lost Without You**

* * *

**"Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness." -- Jack Sparrow**

_Seto was seething. He could barely control the rage festering within him as he stormed into his pharaoh's chambers. _

_Some of Atem's attendants gasped, and looked startled at his sudden and fearsome appearance. Seto noticed, with a little bit of annoyance, that the guards present in the room had all brought their weapons forward in a defensive position, ready to protect their pharaoh if necessary._

_Inwardly the brunet sneered at them for even thinking that he would harm Atem. Seto would sacrifice anything to keep his pharaoh safe and anyone who thought differently was a fool. _

_Atem, unlike all the others in the room, was not startled by Seto's sudden appearance. His pharaoh rose up from his desk with an air of elegance only a demigod could ever manage to pull off. Atem's crimson eyes locked onto his own, before slowly falling to the scroll clutched in the brunet's hand. There was an unmistakable flash of guilt and misery in Atem's eyes, which did nothing to ease the apprehension that held a firm grip on the brunet's emotions. _

_"Leave us." Atem commanded in that quiet voice of his that showed clearly that he would not accept any argument. Dutifully his attendants, guards and even Shimon filed out of the pharaoh's chambers without any fuss. _

_Seto only let his rage and hurt loose when he was certain that everyone was gone, and that they had no unwelcome spectators. The brunet waved the scroll clutched firmly in his hand in front of his cousin, drawing both their attention to it, before throwing it onto the desk Atem had been sitting at where it could join all the other numerous scrolls Atem had been going through. They both watched as the scrolled rolled towards the end of the desk, before stopping just before it could fall over the edge. _

_"I want to know what that is." Seto's voice trembled and he clenched his fists to stop himself from becoming overly emotional. Now was not the time, he reminded himself. Now he needed answers from Atem, and he hoped dearly that Atem's answer would be the one he wanted to hear. _

_Atem gave him a sad little look. "You know what that is, Seto." _

_Seto made a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat before stalking towards his smaller cousin. He grabbed Atem's shoulders, saw his pharaoh wince at the tight grip and barely managed to stop himself from shaking his lover and begging Atem to deny what he already knew. _

_"You can't possibly be considering doing something so…so ridiculous!" _

_Atem tried to pull himself out of Seto's grip, but his cousin wouldn't have it and eventually Atem gave up trying to do the impossible. Atem had hoped that he would be the one to explain his plan to Seto, and to make him understand why it was necessary. The only other person who knew about what he had planned was Ahkenaden, and he'd made his uncle swear not to tell anyone until he was ready. Atem supposed he should be curious as to how Seto had found the scrolls as Ahkenaden did not leave such important things just lying around, but at the moment all he could care about was talking to Seto and making him understand the situation._

_"Seto, the shadows are moving beyond our control. We must act before it's too late." _

_Seto growled and pushed Atem away from him. "Not like this." _

_Atem sighed and rubbed his winged crown in frustration. "The war has barely begun and we're already losing! We barely managed to defeat Bakura and he's still out there! And now he has the Sennen Ring!" _

_Seto scowled and looked at the menacing scroll lying innocently on his pharaoh's wooden desk. The scroll had been locked away by Atem's father, the previous pharaoh, and only a select few people knew of its existence and what secrets the scroll held. The seven Sennen Items, and thus their wielders, had tremendous power over the shadow realm but the scroll he so hated held the key to locking away that power and silencing the menacing shadows. A price was, of course, expected and that price was what made Seto so incredibly fearful. _

_Seto watched, wearily, as Atem moved towards his desk. His cousin picked up the papyrus scroll almost reverently and looked at it with such awe that it made Seto's stomach muscles clench painfully. _

_"I only want to protect my people, and if this is the only way then I am willing." Atem's crimson eyes were determined. Seto couldn't help but admire Atem's strength of will, but that didn't mean that he would just stand aside and let Atem do as he pleased. His pharaoh belonged to him, and Seto would do everything in his power to keep his lover with him. _

_Slowly Seto made his way towards Atem and without an ounce of hesitation, sank down to his knees in front of his beloved. He gazed up at his pharaoh with pleading, heartbroken eyes. Atem looked startled and uncomfortable at Seto's actions. When in public Seto treated him with the respect his position as pharaoh commanded, but the brunet had never kneeled before him and Atem immediately disliked seeing his proud lover on his knees._

_"I am your humble servant, my pharaoh, and I beg you to give us a chance to fight the shadows with the power the gods have given us."_

_Atem set the scroll back down on the table and with shaky hands cupped Seto's cheeks. "Seto…" _

_Seto ignored his pharaoh and continued on. "And furthermore, I beg you not to despair and…and…" Seto closed his eyes as his chaotic emotions almost spilled forth out into the open. Anger, frustration, incredible fear and hurt all swirled within him but the brunet managed, albeit barely, to keep them in check. "…And not to leave me behind. I cannot exist without you." He heard himself say after a few seconds of silence, and Seto wanted to duck his head in shame for allowing those forbidden words to be spoken. Though Seto loved his cousin dearly and he was sure Atem returned those feelings, they had never spoken of it and Seto had never allowed himself to dwell on how much he really needed Atem. To admit it now was truly frightening. _

_Atem joined Seto on the floor and wrapped his arms around his lover to hold and soothe him. "I will never leave you." Atem vowed. "We will always be together, Seto. In this world and in the next." _

_Seto buried his face in Atem's neck and held onto his beloved, as if it was the last time he would ever be able to hold his pharaoh. "I know we can win, Atem. Promise me that you will not try and seal the shadows away." _

_Seto felt Atem nodding, but it was not good enough for the brunet. He needed more reassurance; he needed to hear Atem say the words. _

_"Promise me." Seto begged. _

_"You know I can deny you nothing." Atem whispered and Seto's heart ached in response._

Seto Kaiba swore rather colorfully when he awoke to find himself lying on his back on the expensive, but uncomfortable carpet of his large office. The brunet continued to swear loudly as he picked himself up from the floor. He supposed he should be grateful that his office walls were sound proof, but Kaiba was far too frustrated and shaky, even though Kaiba was reluctant to admit feeling shaky, to be grateful for anything.

Kaiba leaned against his expensive wooden desk to steady himself, annoyed that he even needed the support. He impatiently waited for the nauseous feeling, an after effect of the ridiculous dream, to vanish. When almost three minutes passed without the feeling going away, Kaiba took a moment to reevaluate what he was really feeling. It wasn't nausea, he realized, but the cold dread the priest had felt when he'd realized what Atem had planned to do. Kaiba's heart was also beating rapidly, as if he'd run a mile, and the ache festering around his heart was not welcome.

"Fuck." Kaiba cursed again as he fell into his comfortable leather office chair. "Keep your fucking feelings to yourself, idiot." Kaiba growled, as if the priest was standing right next to him and could actually hear him. The brunet smirked when he imagined the priest scowling at him, but a frown quickly replaced the smirk when Kaiba realized that he was actually pretending that the fool was real.

The rational part of Kaiba's mind could no longer deny that there was something to the dreams he was experiencing. However, Kaiba refused to believe that the dreams and the priest's 'warning' could be even remotely important. After all, they weren't in Egypt any longer and there certainly wasn't anything mystical, which Kaiba still only half believed in, threatening them. Yami wasn't in any danger either, and he wasn't about to lock his soul in the Puzzle any time soon.

Right?

Kaiba scoffed at his own doubtful thoughts. Of course his lover wouldn't, Kaiba reassured himself. He wasn't a pharaoh anymore who had to protect an entire nation, and even if Yami decided to go doing something so foolish again then Kaiba would simply stop him.

Still, doubt continued to stir within him.

"Mr. Kaiba?" His secretary's voice reverberated through his silent office, effectively distracting him from his dark thoughts. He found himself grateful for the sudden diversion, and actually hoped that there was some sort of crisis he had to fix just so that his mind could stay off of the dreams, the priest and his once upon a time fears and, of course, Yami.

"What?"

"Yami Mutou is here to see you, Sir."

His dark thoughts, doubts and fears all came tumbling back in a spectacular fashion.

"Send him in." Kaiba commanded almost immediately.

It wasn't long before his door opened to reveal the former pharaoh. Yami looked edible in his usual getup of black leather pants, muscle shirt and his assortment of various chains and belts. A devious part of Kaiba's mind happily reminded him that they'd never had sex in his office before, but Kaiba squashed that thought almost immediately and trained his world famous glare on Yami instead.

"What are you doing here?" He snapped. "Shouldn't you be off listening to some professor sprout unhelpful nonsense?"

Yami crossed his arms over his chest. "Hello Seto, nice to see you too. I'm doing absolutely wonderful, thank you for asking." Yami replied sarcastically before sitting down in one of the chairs in front of the brunet's desk. "And my last class ended twenty minutes ago."

Kaiba leaned back in his own chair and observed his lover. He'd been surprised when Yami had told him that he wanted to go to college to study something, because it _'looked like fun'_. Having enrolled into high school right after he'd gotten his own body, Yami could go to the local Domino College but unfortunately hadn't qualified for a scholarship. Kaiba had offered to pay for everything, and Yami had taken him up on his offer on the one condition that he pay the brunet back every penny that he owed. Kaiba had thought it silly at the time, but Yami had quickly reminded Kaiba that he didn't want the CEO to think that the former pharaoh was only in a relationship with him because of his money. Kaiba still thought Yami's reasoning was ridiculous considering he could afford it ten times over, but he also respected his lover a hell of a lot more because of that.

Kaiba quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and focused his attention back on Yami when he noticed Yami giving him a rather odd look. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."

"I've come to talk." Yami replied simply. "You've been avoiding me."

"You saw me last night."

Yami shrugged rather casually. "Still doesn't mean you weren't avoiding me."

"Fine." Kaiba leaned forward. "Talk then if you really must."

Yami smirked. "You misunderstand me, Seto. I meant that you are going to do the talking and I am going to listen."

Kaiba snorted. "Don't hold your breath."

Yami got up from his chair and sauntered towards him. Kaiba immediately felt uneasy as things never looked good for the brunet when Yami started turning on his charm.

"I know something's bothering you." Yami said as he climbed onto the brunet's lap. "And you've been keeping it to yourself for long enough."

"Nothing's bothering me." Kaiba snapped. He felt extremely uncomfortable under Yami's pointed gaze. "In fact," Kaiba continued on. "If there's something bothering me then it's you sticking your nose somewhere it doesn't belong."

Kaiba half expected Yami to become angry, but his lover surprised him, like he still managed to do despite them being together for almost a year, when he simply gave an odd little sigh and replied, "Fine, I won't push. You will have to buy me lunch however, to sufficiently distract me from bugging you."

Kaiba nodded, relieved and grateful that Yami had so effortlessly dropped the subject. "I suppose I can fit you into my schedule."

* * *

Kaiba took Yami to the place where they'd had their first official date. It was a nice little Italian restaurant with an excellent food and wine menu that offered Kaiba the privacy that someone in his position required, and he found the owners, a married couple, to be some of the few people that he could actually stand for more than five minutes. They were always friendly and welcoming, but never pestered him about every little thing like so many other restaurant owners did.

Yami immediately recognized the place, offered a delightful smile for Kaiba's thoughtfulness but didn't comment. Kaiba was appreciative, as any mention to their relationship still made him squirm. Yami was his lover, or boyfriend if you preferred, and Kaiba didn't even try to deny that, but the brunet didn't want to be constantly reminded of things they had done or said because of them being together as a couple. He wasn't ashamed of it, but it still made him uncomfortable and fortunately Yami completely understood.

So the least he could do to show his appreciation, Kaiba supposed, was endure having Yami's little group of friends over for dinner to celebrate their one year anniversary. He could already see the evening ending in disaster, but chose not to tell Yami that. The pharaoh was very sensitive about the dinner he was planning, and Kaiba had no intention of bursting Yami's bubble so soon.

"I know how much you hate people-." Yami began after they had ordered and received their drinks.

"I don't hate people." Kaiba interrupted. "I just severely dislike them."

Yami rolled his eyes. "Fine. I know how much you 'severely dislike people', so I have limited the guest list to Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, Ryou, Honda, Otogi, Shizuka, Mai and, of course, Mokuba."

Kaiba took a sip of his coffee before replying. "Aww, you didn't invite your new little college friends? How will I ever survive the night without them?"

Yami looked less than impressed with Kaiba's sarcasm. "You know, it won't kill you to be nice every once in a while."

"You'd be surprised."

Yami chose to ignore him in favor of looking through the menu. Kaiba couldn't help disliking the friends Yami had made when he'd gone to college. They were all obnoxious, even more so than Yugi's little group, and were all under the impression that life was great and that they weren't accountable for any of their actions. The brunet also didn't like the way some of Yami's new male friends looked at the former pharaoh. Kaiba would like to torture them all in the most painful way possible, but the thing that stopped him was that Yami seemed to be completely oblivious to their overly friendly attention. Besides, watching their egos deflate a little more every time Yami disregarded their advances was much more entertaining than any amount of torture could ever be.

"You know, Seto," Yami said idly, sounding a little too nonchalant. "If you don't want to have this dinner then we can forget about it."

Kaiba was tempted to take Yami up on his offer, but Kaiba knew how much Yami wanted to celebrate their anniversary with other people.

"I said we could have the stupid dinner and I meant it. Now stop saying stupid things and decide what you want for lunch."

Yami smirked, quite clearly seeing through his arrogant façade. "You can be lucky I love you, Seto. Otherwise I would have kicked your ass into the shadow realm a long time ago."

Kaiba ignored the little tinge of something that rushed over him at the mention of Yami's feelings for him. "You wouldn't have." Kaiba replied. "My ass is far too gorgeous for that."

"Hmmm." Yami hummed in agreement, his smirk deepening into a more seductive smile. "It is."

Suddenly Kaiba wanted to pull Yami across the table and kiss him as if their very lives depended upon it, but it remained only a desire as Kaiba reminded himself firmly that he did not indulge in displays of affection when in public. Deep within him, Kaiba could distantly remember a time when he hadn't been afraid to show the world that he belonged to Yami as much as Yami belonged to him. He squeezed his eye shut at the thought, suddenly a little resentful. He wasn't the priest, Kaiba reminded himself. And it wasn't real.

"Seto? What's wrong?" Yami asked after seeing his face distort in a look of utter displeasure.

"Headache." Kaiba lied easily.

"Oh." Yami looked a little worried. "Do you want to leave?"

Kaiba shook his head. "Let's just order something, okay?"

Yami nodded, still looking worried. "Okay."

They had a delightfully quick lunch in which Kaiba hardly finished any of it, his appetite having dissipated rather quickly, which only earned him a reproachful look from Yami that Kaiba ignored like he always did when Yami decided to become concerned for his health. When Yami commented on not having any classes for the rest of the afternoon and having the day off from both his part time jobs, Kaiba made the rather abrupt and uncharacteristic decision to take the rest of the afternoon off and spend it relaxing with his lover.

They spent most of the afternoon watching movies, with Kaiba commenting on the horrible acting, the awful plot and ridiculous clichés of all the movies which only earned him an indulgent smile from the former pharaoh. When Mokuba finally came home after spending the afternoon with his friends, the three of them had a light dinner prepared by Kaiba's personal, world class chef. Mokuba disappeared shortly after that, to do homework or play video games, and Kaiba and Yami went upstairs to spoil themselves with a hot bath that was inevitably followed by something more physical and intimate.

When Kaiba awoke later that evening, he instantly knew something was wrong.

For a few minutes the brunet could only stare at the darkness around him, wondering why it suddenly felt like the ground was going to be ripped from underneath his feet. Kaiba moved his head to the side, saw Yami lying next to him, on his back, and turned his head away from his lover and looked up at the ceiling of his room. He continued lying there, motionless, for a few minutes until his body finally decided to climb out of the bed. His feet led him out of his bedroom and down the hall to Mokuba's room, but he stopped abruptly when he noticed something quite odd.

There were dark things floating around him. Shadows, he realized dully. Kaiba watched them swirl around him, when the situation finally seemed to register in his tired mind. Cold panic gripped at him. Kaiba quickly hurried towards Mokuba's room to make sure his little brother was okay but stopped when he realized that the shadows weren't going to or coming from Mokuba's room. His relief was short lived when he noticed that the streams of shadows were merrily making their way towards his bedroom.

Yami, Kaiba thought with a sinking feeling creeping up into his stomach. Without wasting any more time, Kaiba ran back towards his bedroom. He burst into his room, but paused in shock when he was greeted with the horrific sight before him.

The shadows were wrapping themselves gleefully around Yami in a far too familiar manner. The shadows were so dark and murky that whenever they covered a part of Yami, that part seemed to vanish almost completely. He snapped out of his shock when the shadows started to make their way up to Yami's head, no longer satisfied with the rest of his body.

"_No_!" Kaiba screamed and lunged himself at the bed. He tried to physically pull the shadows away from Yami, but his hands passed right through them and they continued wrapping around the former pharaoh, sucking the very life out of Yami. Desperate, Kaiba pushed passed them and grabbed onto Yami's shoulders. A gasp escaped his lips when he touched Yami's icy cold skin, and his stomach twisted when he noticed how deathly pale Yami was.

"No!" He screamed again, shaking Yami and almost breaking down completely when Yami's body responded to his shaking in a limp, lifeless way. "I won't let you leave me! Wake up! Don't you dare let them take you again!"

Then, quite suddenly, all the shadows vanished and he found himself staring into startled crimson eyes and gripping Yami's shoulders so hard that there would definitely be bruises later.

"Seto!" Yami looked rather frightened, and a very relieved when Kaiba returned to the world of the living. "You were having a dream." The pharaoh quickly explained when Kaiba looked momentarily confused by his surroundings.

A nightmare was the more appropriate term.

Kaiba pushed himself off of Yami, scrambled out of the bed and hurried to the refuge the bathroom had to offer. He was aware of Yami rushing after him, but slammed the door shut and quickly locked it before Yami could enter. He distantly heard Yami banging on the door and calling his name, but ignored it. He looked into the mirror at his reflection, and shuddered at the look of horrified dread on his face. The picture of Yami's lifeless face floated before him, and Kaiba barely made it to the toilet before he threw up.

* * *

Kaiba supposed he should have known that the anniversary dinner wouldn't be much better than the rest of his day had been.

His employees had been particularly incompetent, and had disturbed him whenever a crisis they should have been able to handle popped up. His nerves were worn out more so than usual and his patience was literally non existent, and Kaiba had fired at least five people before lunch.

Things could only go from bad to worse, as Kaiba knew all too well. Yami, whom Kaiba had been religiously avoiding since the incident with the nightmare, had phoned him to find out if the brunet was even going to bother attending their anniversary dinner. They'd gotten into an argument about Kaiba avoiding the former pharaoh when, after Yami had started to mention the nightmare, Kaiba had slammed the phone down and proceeded to block all calls for the rest of the afternoon.

Kaiba had missed an important business call because of that.

When six 'o clock came, an hour before everyone was to arrive at the mansion, Kaiba reluctantly made his way home. When the brunet had stepped into the house, the smell of all the delicious food being prepared made his stomach heave unpleasantly. His appetite had completely left him since the nightmare; all it took was remembering Yami's lifeless body to make his stomach twist and turn with nausea and apprehension.

He'd found Yami upstairs, getting dressed, and the two of them had spent the time getting ready for the dinner in bitter silence. A few times Kaiba had been tempted to drop everything and just take Yami into his arms, and explain why he was acting so distant. Kaiba was nothing if not stubborn, however, and he'd successfully managed to stop himself from doing anything that could be considered apologetic.

Things had started off alright when Yami's friends had finally arrived. He'd watched, glaring, as everyone congratulated Yami on their anniversary. Only Yugi and Anzu had extended their congratulations to him, but he'd responded with nothing more than a foul grunt before walking away. He'd heard the mutt commenting on his behavior, but hadn't cared.

Then, like everything else that day, things quickly went wrong. They'd been busy enjoying the hearty meal his chef had prepared; or rather Mokuba, Yami and his friends had been enjoying the meal. Yami had leaned over him to get something from his end of the table, and for the first time Kaiba had noticed the Sennen Puzzle dangling from around his lover's neck. Usually the Puzzle was in Yugi's keeping, but Kaiba knew that Yami would sometimes carry the Puzzle while he and Yugi were together.

Kaiba had sat there, frozen, as the Puzzle swayed in front of him. The brunet could have sworn that the eye on the Puzzle had started to glow menacingly, and sitting there, quite helpless, flashes of memories that were not his own assaulted his vision.

The first thing Kaiba had realized was that all the memories centered around Yami, or rather Atem, and the Puzzle. One memory clearly stood out from the rest, and whenever another memory would try and grab his attention, that one memory would always push its way back. The brunet couldn't make out everything, but the one thing he did make out was Atem lying on a raised stone platform, looking unsure and frightened as people cloaked in shadow chanted unfamiliar words around him. Then Kaiba saw the priest, chanting along with the rest of the people around the platform. The memory sped up and suddenly he was seeing everything through the priest's eyes, His heart clenched painfully when Atem started screaming as the Puzzle sucked out every little bit of life out of the pharaoh.

The last thing he saw before returning to reality was Atem's crimson eyes locking onto his own. They were filled with pain and then, just like that, all life in them vanished as the Puzzle shattered into tiny little pieces.

Everyone around the table had remained oblivious to what Kaiba had experienced. For a second Kaiba had been unable to do anything but watch Yami laugh at something Honda had said, marveling at how exquisitely beautiful his lover was when a terrible thought had dawned on him.

The priest had been the one to lock Yami's soul into the Puzzle for three thousand years and if the priest, who so dearly loved Atem, had been capable of doing such a thing then did that mean that Kaiba would be able to as well?

Kaiba had quickly fled the dinner table and hurried to the safety of his private study where he could think about the visions in peace.

That was where he was now, sitting on one of the armchairs and gazing out of the window while he sipped on a glass of whiskey. He hardly ever drank alcohol, but at that moment in time he desperately needed something to take his mind off of the horrible realization he'd come to a little while before. Kaiba wasn't sure how he would ever be able to look Yami in the eye again without seeing the former pharaoh dying on a cold, hard stone altar.

The door of his study opened and Yami walked in, looking quite upset.

"Alright, I've given you enough time to calm down from whatever's bothering you and now we're going to talk about it. I'm sick of being kept in the dark."

Kaiba chuckled bitterly at Yami's choice of words and finished the last of his drink. "I imagine you are."

Kaiba watched Yami drag another chair closer to him where the former pharaoh proceeded to plop down onto it before giving the brunet a patient look.

"Talk to me." The former pharaoh urged.

Kaiba sighed and looked out of the window, hoping that Yami would go away if he ignored him long enough. Yami, it seemed, had other plans.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me why you've been acting so strange lately."

Kaiba frowned a little when he finally turned his attention back to Yami. "Why do you…you know…?" Kaiba asked. He clenched his fists, unable to continue with his question.

Fortunately, Yami knew him quite well and immediately understood what he was trying to ask.

"Why do I love you?" Kaiba nodded almost immediately.

Yami shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't aware that I needed a reason. I only know that I love you and I will continue loving you for as long as I am able."

Kaiba didn't know if he should be happy or disappointed with Yami's answer.

Yami leaned his head to the side. "Do you think I don't love you? Is that why you're-."

"No." Kaiba quickly interrupted. "I don't think that. I just…I can handle a lot of things Yami, but I don't think I can do this anymore."

Yami looked confused. "You can't do what anymore?"

Watching you die over and over again, Kaiba thought.

"Seto?" Yami prompted gently, reaching out and placing a hand on Kaiba's knee.

"Everything. I can't function anymore; I need a break from everything." The brunet answered. He gave Yami a little look as he pulled his leg away from the pharaoh's touch.

Something seemed to dawn on Yami as he pulled his hand towards himself, looking dejected as if Kaiba's visible rejection of his touch had wounded something profound within him.

"You're breaking up with me. On our anniversary." Yami whispered in a shocked, disbelieving little voice that was not at all like Yami.

"I'm not breaking up with you!" Kaiba said quickly. "Why the hell would you think that?"

Yami scowled. "Maybe you should choose your words more carefully, because it definitely sounds like you want to end things between us."

Kaiba paused for a moment. Was he breaking up with Yami? Of course he wasn't. Kaiba would never be able to let Yami go, and he knew that and had accepted it quite a while ago. He just needed a break, to distance himself a little so that he could sort himself out. So that everything could return to the way things were.

"I'm not breaking up with you." Kaiba repeated. "I just need to be on my own for a while."

The look on Yami's face told Kaiba that the former pharaoh wasn't completely convinced that Kaiba wasn't ending things completely. Yami didn't put up a fight as Kaiba had half expected him to. He was a little disappointed, he would admit, when Yami simply got up from his chair without saying anything. He walked out of the study, and Kaiba felt momentarily like a part of him had been taken away with the pharaoh's departure. Kaiba was more than a little surprised when Yami returned a few minutes later, cradling what seemed to be a shiny metal box in his hands.

Yami looked a little awkward for a moment, before he forced himself to say what it was he wanted to say he wanted to say.

"I know we agreed not to get gifts for each other, but I couldn't resist having this made for you."

Kaiba took the box from Yami and placed it on his lap. He slowly opened the lid and looked on in wonder as three miniature glass Blue Eyes White Dragons immediately began 'flying' in a loop to a soft, almost haunting melody. It was a musical box, Kaiba realized as his dragons flew round and round in circles until the soft melody stopped and brought an end to their roaming.

"I hope you like it. Jounouchi and Honda said it's too girly, but Yugi thought you'd like it anyway."

Kaiba looked up at the pharaoh. "I do like it." He reassured his lover, and watched Yami smile with relief. "But how did you afford this?"

"I worked extra shifts and saved up as much as I could. Yugi's grandfather helped too." Yami shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, acting almost as if working harder hadn't been such a big deal.

"I didn't get you anything." Kaiba said rather lamely. He hated feeling guilty about it when the two of them had agreed that they wouldn't buy gifts.

"I know." Yami replied. "I didn't buy it with the expectation of getting something in return. I just want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy too." Kaiba admitted so softly that Yami almost didn't hear him, but he did and the former pharaoh's smile deepened.

"Then hurry up and sort yourself out, because I don't think I can be very happy without you."

Kaiba nodded, feeling a little dazed by everything that had been said and done.

"I'll see you later, then." Yami said, almost sounding as if he was trying to convince himself of that.

"Yeah." Kaiba nodded.

Yami gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, whispered a quick goodbye and left. When the door closed behind his lover, Kaiba couldn't shake the feeling that something important had just come to a sudden and awful end. Closing his weary eyes, Kaiba opened the music box again and let his dragons fly.

To be continued...

**A/N: Alright, I kind of agree with Jounouchi and Honda; the gift is probably girly but it's got the Blue Eyes White Dragons so that should make up for it! And hey, if Davy Jones can have one of those then so can Kaiba…and, um, yeah the song 'Davy Jones' on the Pirates soundtrack was the inspiration for the gift. On a different note, I've decided to write the AE arc fic that I've wanted to write for years and thus I'll be cutting down on the flashbacks in BoL as those scenes will rather be used in the AE fic. **


	3. Watching You Walk Away

**Breath of Life**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Kaiba/Yami – Seto/Atem**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.**

**Summary: When the lines between past and present blur, Kaiba finds himself reliving the fear of losing Yami to the shadows once more. KAIBA/YAMI and SETO/ATEM **

**A/N: First off, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it very much! And for those who were desperate to see chapter 3, you can all thank the lovely Bahen for getting my ass into gear. Yes, you can take your bow now ^_^. Oh, and the extra scene in this chapter between Kaiba and Yami is dedicated to Bahen because it wouldn't have been added if not for her. Hopefully he's less shadowy now ^_^. **

**Additional Note: Well, this chapter didn't go at all the way I planned. I know it really isn't very good but I'm tired of starting, scrapping and then restarting the whole thing. Like someone said: they can't all be masterpieces… D:**

* * *

**Watching You Walk Away**

_Seto gently touched Atem's arm__; it was a mockery of the caresses the brunet had given Atem when the priest had been foolish enough to believe that his cousin actually loved him. Atem's composure finally seemed to crack when a small, barely there shudder passed through the smaller man. Seto smirked, pleased that he'd finally found the one thing that had the potential to break his lover. Threatening Atem with death had little to no effect, but reminding his cousin of what they had once shared seemed to be more than enough. _

_Seto stepped closer, pressing his chest against Atem's back and snaking an arm around the pharaoh's waist. This time there was no reaction, but the brunet knew that Atem was barely keeping his emotions in check, and the hatred festering within him rejoiced and encouraged Seto to continue, successfully drowning out the small part within him that so desperately wanted to stop. _

_The brunet leaned forward and pressed a small kiss on the side of Atem's neck. His cousin tensed and tried to pull away, but Seto tightened his grip and pulled his cousin closer to him. _

_"Let me go." Atem ordered, but Seto only chuckled in response. _

_"Don't you like it when I touch you, little lover?" _

_"Not when you are someone else's puppet." Atem countered harshly. _

_Seto growled at Atem's words, deeply angered by them. He spun the smaller man around to face him and was__ unprepared for the look of unadulterated disdain in his cousin's eyes. Something twisted painfully within Seto, but his anger wouldn't allow him to dwell on the intense ache within his heart. Instead, the brunet gave a little more of himself to the rage boiling within him. _

_"I am no one's puppet!" Seto hissed. _

_"You are not yourself." Atem whispered. "You must see that."_

_Seto leaned forward until his face was only a few inches away from Atem's. "This is who I am, little cousin." The brunet slowly touched his lips to Atem's while slowly unclipping the Sennen Rod from the sash around his waist with his one hand. _

_"This is who I've always been." Atem shook his head in denial and began to protest, but Seto quickly stopped his cousin from saying anything__ else with a searing, mind shattering kiss. _

_Seto took full advantage of Atem's distracted state to bring the tip of one of the Sennen Rod's sharp wings dangerously close to the skin of his lover's neck. The brunet grinned, delighted, when Atem gasped in pain as the sharp tip of one of the Sennen Rod's wings sliced into his flesh. Atem tried to pull away, but Seto wouldn't have it and instead deepened the intoxicating kiss while a tiny river of blood slowly trickled down his lover's throat. _

_Seto slowly pulled away when he could no longer go without air, and smiled as his blue eyes locked with Atem's pained crimson ones. __"Don't worry, Atem," He whispered rather seductively, "You won't have to worry about me or anything else for much longer because you'll be dead soon enough."_

_The words had barely left his mouth when there was a bright flash, and an incredible wave of power sent him flying back to collide sharply with one of the stone walls of the temple. For a moment he was left completely dazed and the hatred within him temporarily vanished as his mind became a whirlwind of emotions, thoughts and memories. Seto could hear someone, a voice that sounded surprisingly like his own, demanding that he stop the madness he was so easily giving into. The brunet tried to cling to the voice, to the clarity of mind that it provided, but it was soon drowned out when hatred and rage's dark claws hooked into him once more. _

_Seto looked up and saw the creature that had once been Mahado floating in front of Atem, shielding him from harm. Seto, angered at the sight of it, could only sneer at the creature that had been a pain in his side while it had been a living, breathing man. _

_"So," Seto began as he touched the back of his aching head. "The little pharaoh does have some bite in him." He brought his hand back and examined the red moisture staining the tips of his fingers with disinterest. _

_"You should know better than anyone that I won't just give in that easily." Atem said with a small smirk on his beautiful face. _

_Seto grinned wickedly as he pulled himself to his feet. "I'm glad." He replied truthfully. "This makes it so much more fun, don't you think?" _

_Atem frowned at the brunet's words. "I don't want to fight you, Seto." _

_The brunet chuckled. "That's just too bad, Pharaoh, because I really want to fight you." _

Seto Kaiba shuddered as he splashed cool water on the heated skin of his handsome face. The brunet stood there, leaning over the basin as drops of water dripped from the tip of his slightly pointy nose. His hands tingled with the memory of hurting Atem, and for once Kaiba didn't even bother to try and convince himself that it hadn't been him.

When he looked up into the mirror he'd half expected to see the priest's apparition once more, but instead he saw only himself. He looked tired, the brunet admitted. There were dark circles under his eyes, hinting at little to no sleep, and his face was frighteningly pale. Kaiba looked almost like the overworked teenage boy he'd been before Yami and he had begun to actively pursue a relationship.

Kaiba sighed heavily at the thought of Yami. It had been two weeks since their anniversary dinner and he hadn't seen or spoken to the former pharaoh since. Kaiba had distanced himself from his lover for a time in the foolish hopes that the visions and hallucinations of the past would stop. The visions hadn't stopped, and Kaiba had only realized how much he'd started relying on Yami being there for him. Kaiba knew without a doubt that he could live without Yami; he'd managed to for years after all. It was more along the lines of whether he wanted to or not, and the CEO knew the answer to that question without having to seriously think about it. Still, sometimes being so close to Yami made him feel weak and if there was one thing that Kaiba hated it was feeling weak. That was why he'd pulled away from his lover; not only because of a desire to protect Yami from his problems as he'd convinced himself at the time, but because Kaiba wanted to prove to everyone, especially himself, that he didn't want or need anyone's help to overcome his problems.

Kaiba scoffed at his foolish pride and pushed himself away from the basin. The dreams weren't going away, and all he'd managed to do was make himself feel more isolated and lonely than ever before.

Feeling tired, Kaiba left the bathroom and returned to his dark bedroom. He knew the chances of falling asleep again were slim, but Kaiba was willing to try as the idea of sitting in his study or going to work barely three hours after he'd gone to bed was less than appealing.

When Kaiba finally reached his bed he was surprised to find someone nestled under his bed covers. For a moment the CEO was convinced that it was his lover who had sneaked into his bed, but quickly reminded himself that there was no way that Yami could sneak onto the grounds without the brunet being notified of his presence. Squashing the disappointment he felt at his own realization, Kaiba pulled back the covers to reveal Mokuba grinning up at him with a rather mischievous look in his dark blue eyes.

"Shouldn't you be in your own bed?" Kaiba questioned.

"Probably." Mokuba mumbled a little sullenly.

Kaiba sighed. "So what exactly are you doing here then?"

The brunet knew he sounded a bit unkind, but finding his little brother hiding under his covers was a little surprising. There had been a time when Mokuba would crawl into bed with him whenever he had a nightmare, or whenever there was a particularly bad storm, but that had come to an inevitable end as Mokuba got older and more independent. Kaiba was a little surprised to realize that a part of him, the part that wanted to feel needed by Mokuba, was disappointed that his little brother had stopped with his actions. Then there was the part that was grateful, as the thought of Mokuba crawling into his bed with Yami around was a little mortifying.

Mokuba sat up and rubbed his face a little. "Well, I was going to get some water because I was really thirsty and on the way there I decided--."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Get to the point, Mokuba."

Mokuba huffed at his older brother, but obediently cut his story short. "You haven't been sleeping well."

"No, I haven't." Kaiba admitted as he climbed into the empty side of his overly large bed. The sheets were cool against his heated skin and Kaiba shivered a little at the sensation. "It's not something for you to worry about." The brunet added when he managed to make himself relatively comfortable.

Mokuba frowned at Kaiba's words. "That's unfair."

"What's unfair?" Kaiba questioned.

Mokuba huffed again, annoyed that he actually had to explain himself. "It's unfair that you're allowed to worry about me, but I'm not allowed to worry about you."

Kaiba sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "You're allowed to worry about me, but there's nothing _to_ worry about."

"But--."

"Mokuba, I'm tired and I'm not having this conversation now." Kaiba interrupted quite firmly.

Mokuba frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine." He conceded rather grumpily. "But I will say that you've been acting like a zombie ever since you and Yami broke up."

Kaiba glared at Mokuba. "I haven't been acting a like a…" Kaiba paused for a moment when Mokuba's words really sunk in "…wait, what?"

Mokuba looked a little confused. "What?"

"Yami and I haven't broken up." Kaiba protested rather vehemently.

His little brother blinked at him. "You haven't?"

"No, we haven't." Kaiba repeated, though a little less passionately.

"Oh." Was all that Mokuba could say.

A rather awkward silence fell upon them, but Kaiba didn't mind it much. He wasn't too worried that Mokuba had thought that his relationship with Yami had ended; he hadn't spoken to Mokuba about what had happened between Yami and himself on their anniversary and it was only logical that Mokuba would assume the worst with Yami not spending his nights at the mansion like he usually did.

"If you and Yami haven't broken up then why aren't you talking to him? Why isn't he here?" Mokuba asked rather quietly from beside him.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." Kaiba insisted once again.

"You know, Seto…whenever you say that, I really start worrying."

Kaiba could only sigh.

* * *

The bell above the door jingled merrily as Kaiba stepped into the Game Shop. The cool air inside the shop was a welcome reprieve from the almost punishing heat of the afternoon sun. Kaiba paused, looked around the small shop and took in his surroundings; there were a few people browsing the shelves for some game or another, and Sugoroku was attending to a few customers from behind the register. Kaiba had expected to see Yami, as it was usually the former pharaoh's turn to attend to customers on a Saturday afternoon.

Suddenly Kaiba wondered if going to the Game Shop was such a good idea. He'd certainly didn't think he'd be paying Yami a visit when he'd woken up that morning. No, he'd planned on spending the whole day buried in a mountain of paperwork so that he would be suitably distracted from any thoughts of Yami or visions of the priest trying to kill Yami. Things hadn't gone according to plan, however, and eventually Kaiba had given into his foolish desire to see Yami and make sure that he was all right. The brunet wasn't sure what he was going to say when he saw his lover; he still wasn't quite ready to talk about his fears concerning the past and present or his pride, but at the same time he knew he owed Yami some sort of explanation. They hadn't spoken in two weeks, and Yami's willingness to stay away until Kaiba was ready really surprised him.

Kaiba was also annoyed. He didn't like the constant need he felt to see Yami as it left him feeling edgy and pathetic for needing someone so much. He'd tried to prove to himself that he could handle things on his own, like always and instead he'd gone and proved the exact opposite.

"Well hello there, Kaiba. What can I do for you today?"

Kaiba scowled as he was so rudely pulled away from his musings, but the brunet supposed that standing in the middle of the shop looking like an idiot would not do his image any good.

"Where's Yami?" Kaiba questioned, not wasting time with any niceties.

Sugoroku bristled at the brunet's tone, and Kaiba admitted to himself that he might have sounded a bit rude.

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

This time it was Kaiba's turn to bristle at the old man's tone and words. "What the hell does that mean!?" Kaiba, tempted to throttle the old man, took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Look, just tell me where he is and I'll be out of your hair."

Sugoroku gave him a stern look, promptly turned around and busied himself with a few boxes set behind the counter. "I have never disapproved of your relationship with Yami; perhaps I didn't like it very much, but I knew you cared about each other." Sugoroku paused with whatever it was he was doing. "But I find that ever since you and Yami broke up that--."

"Stop saying that!" Kaiba growled.

Sugoroku looked over his shoulder, a little confused. "Stop saying what?"

"We haven't broken up, so stop saying or thinking that we have." Kaiba scowled and looked away from Sugoroku's curious look. He could understand Mokuba thinking that they had permanently ended things, but no one else had any business to think that Yami and he had broken up for good. Unless Yami had said something, and Kaiba readily admitted that that was a thought that gave him very little comfort.

"You might not have broken up, Kaiba, but the two of you aren't really together either."

Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and was tempted to huff like a spoiled child, but managed to overcome the urge.

"Yami should be at the Domino Park; I gave him the day off."

The brunet nodded. "Thanks." He murmured, and stalked out of the Game Shop. The bell above the door chimed merrily once more, as he left the shop and the old man behind.

* * *

Kaiba pulled off his designer sunglasses and slowly took in his surroundings as he shut the door of his car. Domino Park was littered with hundreds of people; from small children running around with excited looks on their chubby little faces to groups of teenagers hanging out with friends and having a good time.

Kaiba sighed, locked his car with a press of a button, and went in search of Yami.

The brunet was very relieved when most of the people around him remained completely oblivious to exactly who he was, and Kaiba found himself relaxing a little amongst the throng of people surrounding him.

Eventually, after wandering around passed all the small little restaurants and shops, Kaiba found Yami in a small ice cream parlor. Stepping inside the cool shop, Kaiba realized that the former pharaoh was surrounded by a group of people that Kaiba vaguely recognized. He immediately knew that they were some of the people Yami had classes with and his mood darkened considerably.

Kaiba wasn't sure what he'd expected, but he certainly hadn't expected Yami to be rather jovial and laughing with the idiotic people he considered his friends. Yami wasn't someone who would refuse to get up when he was knocked down, Kaiba was well aware of that and it was one of the qualities he valued in his lover, but Kaiba had hoped to see some sort of sign, no matter how small, that their temporary separation was affecting Yami as much as it was affecting him. Instead Kaiba was faced with the possibility that Yami wasn't at all bothered about the _break_ they were going through, and looking back Kaiba realized that Yami hadn't put up much of a fight or really asked why the brunet had wanted to pull away from their relationship for a time.

The logical part of Kaiba's brain reminded him that he would have been annoyed if Yami had constantly pestered him, demanding an explanation for his actions, but Kaiba was tired of listening to reason.

Especially when it had done him very little good so far.

Kaiba watched Yami pause in the middle of his conversation with a young man with too long black hair and square shaped glasses, and then turn to look directly at him. Yami looked surprised at his sudden appearance, but smiled happily at him and moved to get up. Kaiba wasn't in the mood to talk anymore, however and swiftly spun around, his coat flaring dramatically behind him as he walked right out of the ice cream parlor.

Kaiba heard booted footsteps echoing behind him, and knew without a doubt that Yami had followed him. His lips turned upward in a smirk when he realized that his long strides were too fast for Yami's shorter legs to catch up with.

"Seto!"

Kaiba ignored the voice calling out to him and continued walking towards his car.

"Seto! Seto, damnit, slow down!"

The brunet paused for a moment; he wasn't quite sure why, but the sound of Yami calling his name in an exasperated and breathless tone twisted something within him and made him feel rather guilty.

_"Seto! Seto, please slow down. You're walking too fast!"_

_"Hurry up, Atem. Gods, why must I always baby-sit you when there are hundreds of servants to look after you?"_

_There was a hitch in someone's breathing followed by a loud painful thud and then the sound of muffled sobs. Seto looked behind him and saw his little cousin on the hard ground, holding his bleeding leg and trying his best to hold his tears back. _

_Blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You're such a baby, Atem."_

Kaiba clenched his teeth and blinked when the image of a young Atem bleeding melted away. Meanwhile, Yami had caught up with him during his 'vision'; he'd grabbed hold of Kaiba's trench coat with both of his hands and leaned his forehead against Kaiba's arm while he fought to catch his breath.

When Yami had calmed his breathing, which didn't take long at all, he glared up at the brunet. "What's wrong with you!?"

"Nothing." Kaiba replied. He pulled his arm out of Yami's grip and tried not to feel guilty when a look of pain flashed in his lover's eyes. "Go back to your little friends."

Yami looked taken aback. "What?" The former pharaoh paused, closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're not serious."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "Of course I'm serious." He snapped. The little bit of patience he'd started the day with was completely gone, and not really thinking through his frustration and jealousy, he blindly continued on. "You seem to be having _so much fun_ despite the fact that everyone we know seems to be under the impression that we've broken up, but then again maybe you want certain people to think that you're available. If that's the case then all you had to do was tell me and we could have terminated our relationship on a more permanent level."

Yami's eyes widened before a dark and dangerous gleam entered his crimson eyes. "You're kidding right? Do I need to remind you that _you_ were the one who wanted to take a step away from everything for a while!"

"Well, you don't seem too torn up about it." Kaiba accused.

Yami began laughing rather hysterically. "I give up!" The former pharaoh threw his hands up in exasperation. "I give you the space _you _wanted so that you could think about whatever's been bothering you because I had faith that you would eventually get over yourself and talk to me, and now you're not happy that I'm doing exactly what I thought you wanted me to do!? If that wasn't what you wanted then please tell me so that I can understand what the hell it is that you want from me!?"

"Nothing!" Kaiba replied vehemently. "I don't want anything from you, because in the end you're just like everyone else!" Inwardly Kaiba winced at his own words, and deep down he knew that he was overreacting. He was tired, however - tired of not being able to go a day without seeing some sort of foreboding vision of the past that reminded him a little too much of his present situation. All the emotions swirling within him frustrated him, and seeing Yami fine and happy with other people who weren't him brought his jealousy to life and now he could only respond the only way he knew how – by building a wall around himself again and attacking before he himself could be attacked.

"You don't mean that." Yami hissed, his voice trembling with the anger building up inside him.

"Whatever." Kaiba, tired of arguing, spun around and continued on to his car. "I'm going home."

"Don't walk away from me!"

_"If you wanted to die so badly then you should have just let __Ahkenaden__ or Bakura kill you!" _

_"Seto…" _

_"Whatever, Atem. Do what you want, but I'm not going to be the one responsible for your death." _

_"Don't you dare walk away from me, Seto! I'm your pharaoh!"_

Kaiba stumbled as he left the vision as quickly as he'd entered it, but regained his balance before he could fall. His heart hammered painfully against its caged prison. Cold fear made his stomach muscles clench and something inside him was begging him to turn around and talk to Yami, to share the visions and his fears about what was happening. His damnable pride kept him from doing so; it reminded him in painful detail that Yami was doing fine without him while he was drowning in memories and emotions that were the former pharaoh's fault anyway.

Kaiba made a tortured sound in the back of his throat as he fumbled with the button that would unlock his car. He sighed in relief when the expensive vehicle made a soft clicking sound as the doors opened, and gratefully climbed into the protective confines of his car. Kaiba closed his eyes, leaned his pounding head against the headrest and tried to calm himself. The little peace he had was shattered, however, when the passenger door opened and Yami climbed into the passenger seat.

"Get out." Kaiba ordered hoarsely, but his lover gave him a defiant look.

"No." Yami's fists clenched in his lap. "Not until we've talked about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, now get the fuck out of my car before I throw you out."

"You're lying!" Yami shakily tugged the hair dangling in front of his eyes behind his ear. "I'm tired of playing by your rules and trying to make things easier for you. Now we're going to do things my way, and I swear to all that is holy I will not let you ruin our relationship just because something's scaring you."

"I'm not afraid of anything. Now for the last time, get out of my car."

Yami's mouth set in a firm line. "I'm not going to run after you anymore so either you talk to me, or we're done."

Angry at being threatened and not really thinking about what he was doing, Kaiba leaned across Yami and opened the door for his lover.

The former pharaoh gave him a look of disbelief that quickly turned to frustrated resignation, before climbing out the car and slamming the door behind him. Kaiba winced as his car shook with the force of the door slamming shut, swallowed heavily as a lump of regret lodged itself in his throat and watched as Yami walked away from his car.

Kaiba sat there for a few minutes until, with an exhausted sigh, his mind managed to convince him that he really needed to leave and go home so that he could think things over in relative peace.

The brunet didn't go home, however. Instead he'd decided to leave Domino and drive around aimlessly, hoping that the endless stretch of road ahead of him would calm him down.

Kaiba sighed as, hours later, unwanted raindrops shattered against his car. Lightning flashed its warning and thunder grumbled menacingly off in the distance, and Kaiba knew that it was time to go home. It was after ten at night and Mokuba had already phoned a number of times to check up on him. Kaiba felt guilty for having ignored his brother's phone calls, but he'd needed time on his own and now he could admit to himself that argument with Yami had been needless and utterly ridiculous. He'd only reacted so negatively because of his frustration and jealousy; he hadn't been prepared when he'd seen how happy Yami seemed to be without him. The visions of pain, death and losing the person he loved didn't help much either. Still, at least Kaiba could admit that he'd been wrong and work towards fixing the problem. Kaiba would talk to Yami in the morning; he would explain everything, open himself up a little more and this time he wouldn't allow his temper or his doubts to get in the way. After all, he'd never doubted Yami's feelings for him before and he knew, deep down, that he had no reason to start now.

Besides, Kaiba wasn't nearly as pathetic as the priest and he'd be damned if he allowed Yami to slip through his fingers like Seto had let Atem slip through his.

With a determined look on his face, Kaiba turned his car around and headed back towards the city. A bolt of lighting hit a nearby tree, reducing it to flaming cinders; there was another blinding flash and…

…_and the body of the pharaoh lay motionless on the stone dais with the shattered remains of the Sennen Puzzle scattered around him. Atem's eyes, so beautiful and lifeless, stared up at the stone ceiling._

_"It's done." Someone whispered, but Seto couldn't focus on them. All that mattered was the cold and lonely body lying on the altar. _

_The brunet took a step forward. The Sennen Rod was still clutched in his hands but no longer hummed with the familiar power it once had. It slipped from his fingers and cluttered to the ground; the horrible sound of it hitting the ground was only drowned out by the sound of his breaking heart. _

_Seto reached out to touch his pharaoh's cheek, and…_

…and Kaiba blinked, surprised and disappointed, as the tips of his fingers met cold, hard glass instead of the smooth skin he'd expected. It took a moment, but his brain eventually registered the bright lights speeding towards him and the sound of a muffled car horn blaring out a warning. Clarity hit him like a ton of bricks and Kaiba swore colorfully as he swerved out of the way of the oncoming car, only to lose the little control he had over his speeding vehicle. His surroundings danced around him in blurry circles, and a part of Kaiba was tempted to laugh joyfully at it all – and he would have, if everything didn't come to a sudden and frightening stop. A sharp and unwelcome pain shot through his skull, turning his vision into a blinding white mess.

Off in the distance the brunet could hear the sound of hysterical screaming and someone calling his name, but that hardly mattered. The only thing that was important was the almost foggy figure reaching out to him. Crimson eyes, lined in kohl and so very exotic, danced happily as Kaiba reached out his own hand to desperately grab hold of the rapidly fading body in front of him. Kaiba's vision completely blacked out when their hands finally touched, but he could have sworn he'd seen Atem smile…

To be continued…

**A/N: And that, as they say, is that. Hopefully it wasn't too horrible… Anyway, please leave a little review! Even if it is to whack me over the head for killing off Kai…I mean for going the cliché route of a car crash, but he should have known better to go driving in a storm while visions could take over any minute. Uh, yeah so that's it from me. Until next time! **


	4. Nothing Else Matters

**Breath of Life**

**Rating: M**

**Pairing: Kaiba/Yami – Seto/Atem - Kaiba/Atem **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.**

**Summary: When the lines between past and present blur, Kaiba finds himself reliving the fear of losing Yami to the shadows once more. KAIBA/YAMI, SETO/ATEM and KAIBA/ATEM.**

**A/N: Well, here we are, at the end. I would also like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. It meant the world to me. Aaand, per the lovely Bahen's instructions I've taken out all the apologies. Happy now? XD  
**

**The song I listened to, to get most of this chapter done was the instrumental version of "Nothing Else Matters" by Apocalyptica and so the reason for the chapter title. **

* * *

**Nothing Else Matters**

**

* * *

  
**

**"How would you define a dream? If as a fleeting path without substance…. then this is no dream. I have brought you to this place and it is real." – Solar (Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal)**

_Tired blue eyes gazed upon the great desert that stretched out almost endlessly before him, as if it was the last time that he would be able to watch the setting sun bathe the golden sand of his home in a red, rosy glow. It could very well be, Seto__ thought to himself. He was old. His body, no longer as full of vibrant life as it used to be, ached with the pains that only aging could bring. His once bright strategic mind was no longer as brilliant as it once was, but Seto was proud to note that he wasn't nearly as senile as most other men his age. _

_Still, age had crept upon him while he wasn't looking and he knew that he would not live to see his next birthday. Seto supposed it was time; he'd lived a long life and had ruled his people well. He'd picked up the pieces of his country that a war with shadows had left behind while he himself had been broken, but Seto had managed even when he'd believed that he would fall apart before he could restore Egypt to her former glory and that, in his opinion, was something to be proud of. _

_Seto was ready for death, but he was also afraid. He was terrified of what would be waiting for him in the afterlife. Would Atem be there to welcome him with open arms, or had the shadows done something to his soul when they'd sealed away the Sennen items' power? Seto desperately wanted to believe that Atem would be there as his lover had once promised, but he'd lived long enough to know that things were hardly, if ever, that easy. _

_The pharaoh sighed and turned away from the view of the harsh and unforgiving desert. He didn't know if he could face the thought of existing in an eternity without Atem by his side; he'd barely managed to live his life without his lover, after all. _

_Seto glanced down at the tablet he'd carved to commemorate Atem. He lovingly traced the form of his lover and smiled bitterly as the familiar ache returned to his heart. Sometimes he marvelled at how he'd managed to live so long without one half of his soul. He'd often contemplated suicide, but then he would remember the promise he'd made to Atem and he would keep on living for his lover and their people. He'd often, while the temptation of drink had overcome him, cursed his lover for condemning him to such a cruel fate. _

_It had been difficult to continue on with Atem's memory burning bright in his mind, and sometimes he could fool himself into believing that he could hear his lover's laugh or see him running through the palace corridors with that mischievous look in his crimson eyes. _

_It had not always been bad, however, and he'd experienced immense wonders and had done many great things during his reign. _

_"It would have been better," Seto whispered, "If you'd been there beside me while I was doing these things." _

_A strong wind, seemingly coming out of nowhere, whipped around him. Seto closed his eyes, smiled and enjoyed the sensation of the untameable wind against his old and wrinkled skin. _

_It was all brought to an abrupt end when there was a loud crash behind him. _

_Spinning around, with his heart trying to crawl out of his throat, Seto saw something that brought and agonized moan to his lips. _

_Atem stood before him, dressed in all his finery and Seto distantly realized that his memories of his lover did him little justice. His cousin wasn't looking at him, much to Seto's disappointment. No, he was looking down at the chest that had been knocked to the ground by the unexpected wind that had entered his bedchambers. _

_"Ate-." The apparition of his lover promptly faded before his lover's name completely left his lips, and disappointment and heartache coiled within him. _

_Seto walked towards the chest. He quickly realized that the chest lying on the floor was the one that housed all the Sennen Items except for the pieces of the Sennen Puzzle which were safe in Atem's tomb. He reverently placed the chest back on the table, and hesitated a moment before he opened it to gaze at the once wondrous Items. _

_The Sennen Items were nothing more than empty reminders of a time of great power now, and the only thing that made them worth anything nowadays was the gold they were made out of. Despite that, Seto always expected to feel the power they had once had, but he was always left feeling disappointed. Not this time, however. No, this time he could feel a very faint trace of power resonating from them and the pharaoh gaped in wonder._

_Seto reached out, not to the Sennen Rod that had once been his, but to the Sennen Tauk instead. It was calling to him, beckoning him to use its power. He was not at all certain how it could be possible to use its power as the Items had all lost their unique abilities when he, the remaining priests and Atem had sealed the shadows away. Seto didn't bother to worry about that too much, however. Instead he grabbed hold of the necklace and brought it closer to him while staring, entranced, at its golden eye._

_"What secrets do you keep?" Seto asked softly, and the Tauk flashed its response._

_Seto embraced the Sennen Item's power and greedily took in the visions that were being showed to him. He saw Atem, beautiful as ever but alone and shrouded in darkness. He saw tall, impossibly shaped buildings reaching out towards the heavens while creatures of metal moved at impossible speeds below. He saw war raged with weapons he'd never thought possible, and battles with more familiar monsters while the threat of the shadows loomed in the background. Seto also saw himself; he saw his own blue eyes, though a little colder and much more unwelcoming, staring back at him with a challenge clearly shining in their icy depths. Most importantly he saw the future version of himself with Atem, and though it comforted him to see himself with his lover in whatever future he was looking at, he was also worried over what he saw. _

_It seemed that his pride was as much his enemy in the future as it had been in the past, and Seto watched in frustration as his future self slowly ruined everything between himself and Atem due to his foolish pride and fears. _

_The visions unexpectedly stopped and Seto gasped with surprise. His legs buckled and all strength left him, and the pharaoh slowly sank to the stone floor. Seto breathed heavily and stared at the Sennen Tauk still clutched in his hand. It was once again devoid of the familiar hum of power. He was grateful for the warning it had given him and whispered a quick thanks before gathering his strength and pulling himself back up. He returned the Tauk to its resting place, touched the Rod in greeting and then closed the chest so that the Items could be left in peace once more. _

_Most of the things the Tauk had allowed him to see made very little sense, but Seto now knew without a doubt that Atem was not in the afterlife as he'd expected. Seto could do something about that; he would not enter the afterlife and experience the tranquillity it offered while Atem remained trapped in the shadows, and the vision of himself in the future reassured him that there was a chance he would succeed in his plans. Furthermore, he would not allow his future__ self to throw away his chance of being with Atem. _

_Seto wasn't sure how, but he would show his future self exactly what it was he could lose and somehow remind him of the pain they'd already gone through when Atem had been sealed away. _

_With a determination he hadn't felt in a long time, Seto went to work to save the future. _

* * *

"You shouldn't blame yourself."

Kaiba swallowed hard at the voice. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by nothing but darkness. The only bit of light was coming from the figure half draped across his lower legs and knees. Atem smiled at him, and leaned his head to the side in wonder.

"You do look remarkably like him, you know." Atem said with a little chuckle.

Kaiba frowned at the mention of the traitorous priest. "I'm not him." Kaiba growled. "And this isn't real."

Atem frowned and sighed at Kaiba's constant need to argue. "If some part of your soul wasn't connected with Seto, then how can you possibly experience his memories and his emotions? You've stopped trying to convince yourself that your dreams aren't real, so some part of you must believe in your connection with Seto." Kaiba remained silent, temporarily unable to argue with the logic behind Atem's words. "And," The pharaoh quickly continued on, taking full advantage of Kaiba's silence. "Just because what you're experiencing now might not be completely real doesn't mean you don't have to listen to me."

"You're just as annoying as Yami is." Kaiba muttered darkly and Atem laughed delightedly.

"Well," Atem leaned forward and tapped Kaiba's nose with the tip of his finger; it was something Yami sometimes did when his lover decided to be particularly irksome. "We are the same person."

"Are you?" Kaiba asked, sounding genuinely curious. "You laugh more freely than he does, or you used to before…"

"…Before the war." Atem finished softly.

"Before the priest betrayed you." Kaiba corrected with a growl in his voice.

"You don't usually come to conclusions before examining every possible angle of the situation, and I'm disappointed that you've started now when it has the potential to ruin everything."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaiba demanded.

"I'm saying that you should look a little more closely before you judge Seto so harshly."

"I saw what happened! I was _there_, remember? I saw him betray you!"

"You only saw one half of the picture." Atem defended, but Kaiba wasn't willing to listen.

"He sealed you in the Puzzle! He's the reason you were trapped in that thing for three thousand years!"

Atem sighed. "I'm offended that you think I would let him do something so fundamental without my consent."

"I don't care." Kaiba replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest and almost looking like a sulking child. "He deserved the pain he felt after you were sealed away."

Atem looked sad at his words and for a moment Kaiba wanted to take his words back and wrap Atem in his arms, but in his mind the words he'd spoken were the truth and he wasn't about to pretend that it wasn't.

"Tell me then." Atem began. His voice had developed a hard, cold hint to it and at that moment Atem sounded a lot like Yami whenever the former spirit was angry at something or another. "Will you deserve the pain when Yami finally decides to walk away? He loves you dearly, but even he will leave when pushed hard enough."

Pain gripped at his heart at the thought of Yami walking away from their relationship, and remembering how he'd treated the former pharaoh, Kaiba wouldn't blame his lover if Yami decided to never speak to him again. He could tell himself that he'd done it for Yami, that he'd wanted to spare his lover from having to deal with his problems, and though there was some truth to it, but he also knew that the real reason was because he didn't want to appear weak. That the loss of control had already damaged his pride, and having to rely on someone else would just be unthinkable.

"It's not the same." Kaiba finally replied a little lamely. Unsure of what else to say to defend his actions. "Our situation is completely different."

"No, it's not." Atem argued. "It's so very alike that it's almost frightening."

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked.

"Seto tried to protect me by keeping me in the dark about everything. He was so desperate to handle the situation on his own, to save me and everyone else, that he would do anything, even willingly give in to the manipulations of his father. You have also tried to protect Yami and yourself by keeping the things you're experiencing from him, you've also tried to handle it all on your own because you _might_ appear weak and in the end you're pushing him so far away from you and your fears that one day he won't be able to find his way back to you." Atem offered an encouraging smile and ran his fingers through Kaiba's chocolate locks. "Now don't get me wrong. _Most _of your intentions are good, just like Seto's were, but your methods leave a lot to be desired."

Kaiba looked a little unsure. "I don't feel comfortable relying on people. And I… I don't want anything to happen to him."

"You can't control the future." Atem replied simply.

"What about the things I've seen? I can protect him from that."

"You can't," Kaiba opened his mouth to argue, but Atem quickly cut him off. "You can't, Seto Kaiba, because they're just dreams. Your dreams are the result of your own fears and insecurities brought to life by Seto's memories and the emotions he felt so long ago."

"So you're telling me that everything I've seen was all just my imagination playing tricks on me?" Kaiba couldn't stop himself from feeling bitter about that.

Atem shrugged. "You truly are your own worst enemy."

"So you're saying Yami isn't in any danger? Nothing's going to happen to him?"

"I can't say that." Atem replied, and Kaiba felt his heart sinking. "I don't know who and what is out there. Someone else just might try their luck against _the Pharaoh_, but I think if such a time comes then you'll be better prepared to protect those you love because you will, hopefully, have learned from the mistakes you made now and the mistakes Seto made in the past."

"Everything's such a mess." Kaiba murmured almost regretfully.

"Yes," Atem agreed. "But you can still fix things. You just need to be honest with Yami and actually sit down and talk to him."

"Then everything will be alright again? Just like that?" Kaiba sounded skeptical, and he knew that he had every reason to be. Life was hardly ever that simple.

"No, but you'll be heading in the right direction." Atem offered a smile before he maneuvered himself so that he was lying between Kaiba's legs with his head resting against the brunet's chest. The solid weight of the pharaoh brought comfort to him, and he found himself wrapping his arms around the smaller body.

"All you need to do now is open your eyes." Kaiba noted that Atem sounded almost mournful, and he frowned as a result.

"Is that a nice way of saying that I should look at the bigger picture, because if it is then you're repeating yourself."

Atem chuckled, quite amused. "No. I meant that you should open your eyes and go back where you belong."

"I don't understand…"

Atem pulled away from him and cupped the brunet's cheek in one of his hands. "I want you to stay with me, but I know that you can't because you don't belong here."

Looking around at the darkness surrounding them, Kaiba wholeheartedly agreed that he did not belong there. He quickly looked back at Atem, and before he could fully realize what he was doing, pulled the pharaoh in for a kiss. Atem stiffened in surprise for a moment before he, with a moan of delight, threw himself into the embrace. Kaiba felt Atem's hands dig themselves into his hair, something Yami always did, and shivered at the incredible feeling of the pharaoh's fingers stroking his scalp. The pharaoh fit perfectly in his arms, as if he'd been made for Kaiba and no one else. His heart rejoiced when Atem moaned happily, and the brunet's fingers dug in to the material of his clothes, desperate to never let go.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime and yet not, the kiss came to a slow, inevitable end. Atem slid his fingers from Kaiba's hair to rest on his cheeks, and nipped at the brunet's lower lip with a teasing grin.

"Open your eyes, Seto." Atem placed one last chaste kiss on the brunet's lips. "I promise you'll see me when you wake up."

Kaiba nodded, felt Atem slipping away and almost clung on in fear, but remembering Atem's words Kaiba let him go and for the first time really trusted in Atem, and in Yami. For the first time, Seto Kaiba really opened his eyes.

* * *

Kaiba awoke to the sound of voices.

It took a brief moment for his mind to catch up to his surroundings, and panic gripped at him, its icy claws hooking in to his very being when he didn't recognize his surroundings. Memories, never forgotten but somehow always shoved to the back of his mind, of waking up in an unwelcome if not strange room after being awake for days on end flittered through his mind, and the panic he felt worsened.

Eventually, after a few seconds, Kaiba managed to calm himself down enough to take a look at his surroundings. Though the room he was in was dimly lit, the brunet could clearly see that the room's walls and roof were painted a frosty and sterile white. The smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air and burned his nose. His stomach rolled as his mind spun, and Kaiba couldn't keep a garbled moan from escaping the back of his throat. The moan was barely audible, but the person sitting close to him, his or her face briefly obscured by shadows, heard him and reacted almost immediately.

"Seto!"

Kaiba closed his eyes, opened them again and saw his little brother hovering over him. Mokuba's big eyes sparkled with relief; the grin on his face was wobbly, and his cheeks were red with dried tears. The brunet wanted to reach out and touch his little brother, to make sure he was okay, and find out why he was so upset. He didn't want Mokuba to be upset, but his arms were heavy at his sides and Kaiba moaned again. Distantly he realized that the voices he'd woken up to had paused in their conversation.

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba." A face Kaiba didn't recognize appeared next to his brother's. Stern brown eyes peered down at him from behind oval shaped glasses. The scrutiny made the brunet feel uncomfortable, and he shifted slightly to try and get away. The man must have picked up on his discomfort because he immediately moved back with a rueful smile, and Kaiba quickly noticed the white lab coat.

A doctor, Kaiba realized, and vivid memories of a storm, a loud crash and Atem's crimson eyes whirled through his mind. Kaiba winced when his brain protested with a sharp pain, which earned him a soft chuckle from the doctor.

"Pain is to be expected." He announced softly. "You're very lucky, Mr. Kaiba. You walked away with only a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs. Your injuries could have been much worse, but we'll keep you here overnight just to be sure."

Mokuba looked up at the older man. "Why? I thought you said my big brother was okay."

"It's just a precaution, Mokuba." The other person in the room finally spoke up. Kaiba sagged a little bit into the bed when his eyes finally landed on Yami who was standing near the room's window.

"Indeed it is. It's only a precaution, and tomorrow he can go right on home." The doctor said reassuringly, but Kaiba wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. He was only focused on the form of his lover who was staring right back at him. Yami was paler than usual and there was a look in his eyes that Kaiba didn't care for. The brunet knew he was part of the reason for that look, and something that felt unpleasantly like guilt festered in his stomach.

"Can I stay here, then?" Mokuba asked hopefully.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Mokuba." The doctor replied. "Your brother won't be much company, I'm afraid. He needs some rest."

"I can be quiet." Mokuba insisted.

"Mokuba." Kaiba spoke up for the first time since waking up. His voice cracked slightly, and the brunet winced at how pathetic he sounded. "You can't stay here tonight."

"But-."

"I'll take you home and stay with you, and then tomorrow we can come pick Seto up. Okay?" Yami's voice brooked no argument.

Mokuba frowned, clearly displeased, but nodded grudgingly.

"Thanks." Kaiba mumbled. The brunet could feel his eyes droop slightly; whatever medication was coursing through his system was taking hold of him again and Kaiba wanted nothing more than to give himself over to the sweet darkness waiting for him.

"You're welcome." Yami replied.

"I think we should let Mr. Kaiba get the rest he needs." The doctor said distantly.

Kaiba hummed softly when Mokuba gave him a quick hug with a soft 'goodnight'. The brunet wasn't sure if he imagined the lips touching his own; it brought a faint smile to his face nonetheless as sleep swallowed him whole.

* * *

It was still raining the next day.

The sound of the wipers sweeping across the windshield was comforting and Kaiba felt himself relax into the leather seats of his brand new SUV. Yami, seated next him in the driver's seat, was less than relaxed. His eyes were fixed on the wet and slippery road ahead of them, and his knuckles were white as his hands gripped at the steering wheel.

He knew Yami wasn't tense because of the bad weather. His lover had been a little off since he'd walked into the hospital that morning, barely looking at him and only touching the brunet when he really needed to. Kaiba wasn't surprised, he'd expected Yami to be cold and aloof, but actually having to deal with the distance between them was more upsetting than Kaiba cared to admit.

Their relationship was fractured and he knew he needed to fix things between them. He was still so tired, though. Doctor Nomura had given him a clean bill of health that morning, and had sent him home with his medication and stern instructions to take the rest he needed.

He would fix things, Kaiba vowed. He'd messed things up so he would make things right again, but he would do that when he was a hundred percent himself again. Which, Kaiba was sure, had to be soon.

"You tired, Seto?" Mokuba enquired from his position at the back.

"Hn."

"We'll be home soon." Yami announced. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Yami's gaze flickered back to the road. In that brief moment Kaiba had seen a glimpse of the longing and hesitation that were hidden behind the anger and frustration Yami felt. Kaiba reached out and placed a firm hand on Yami's thigh; it was meant to be comforting, and Kaiba supposed it worked a little because his lover gave a fleeting sigh and some of the tension evaporated. Yami didn't look at him, however, nor did he make a move to touch Kaiba back.

The brunet supposed it was to be expected, and Yami not pulling away from his touch was better than nothing.

* * *

Yami had been right, and the trio arrived at the Kaiba mansion a few minutes later. Kaiba had swallowed his pride and had allowed Yami and Mokuba to help him inside the house, but he'd refused to be treated like an invalid for much longer as his injuries weren't all that serious, and had made a show of climbing the stairs to his bedroom on his own.

Kaiba had wasted no time to get into a shower and clean himself and the brunet wasn't surprised when he returned to his room, hair wet and dripping down into his t-shirt, to find both Mokuba and Yami waiting for him.

Mokuba had wanted to stay with him while he rested, but Kaiba had convinced his little brother that he was fine and that he should enjoy his Sunday and relax a little. Reluctantly Mokuba had left the room, but not before promising to check up on him every few hours.

"Your accident really scared him, you know." Yami said as he handed him a glass of water with the medication the doctor had prescribed him.

"I know." Kaiba replied after he took his medication.

"Was it an accident?" Yami asked bluntly. Kaiba was a little taken aback by the question.

"Are you asking me if I deliberately crashed my car?" Kaiba was unable to keep the offended tone from his voice.

"Can you blame me for asking?" Yami snapped then took a calming breath. The former pharaoh closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Kaiba noticed he was trembling slightly with pent up fear and emotion.

"I don't know what to think anymore. You haven't been _you_ lately." Yami continued. "You've been irrational - jumping at every little shadow." Kaiba hid his wince at Yami's choice of words. "And you've refused to talk to anyone about what's been bothering you, especially me, so can you really blame me for jumping to conclusions?"

"I've been acting strangely, I know, and I'll tell you why. Just give me a little time and I'll tell you everything. I promise."

"I'm not sure if I believe you."

"Yami-."

"What changed? Why are you suddenly so willing to talk to me when you've been pushing me away for the last couple of weeks?"

"A lot of things have changed."

"Oh yeah?" Yami's doubt was quite transparent. "I'm not here for your amusement, Kaiba. I'm not going to let you push me away and treat me like crap whenever you get bent out of shape about something. I love you, and I want this relationship to work, but I'm not your doormat and I won't let you treat me like one."

"Damn it, Yami, I-." Kaiba growled, but Yami wasn't interested and quickly interrupted the brunet.

"I've been patient and I've tried to let you do things your way, but if we're going to work then we both need to be in this together." Yami paused and Kaiba patiently, and perhaps somewhat uncharacteristically, waited for his lover to continue. "I want to, and I'm going to give you a chance to convince me that you can trust me and let me in for a change. If you can't, then I'll go and leave you to do what you do best: being alone."

The brunet's stubbornness flared up. He wanted to argue, but the part of him that needed Yami, which Kaiba realized was most of him, successfully squashed it.

"Fair enough."

Yami nodded, pleased. "Now, you need to sleep. You look about ready to pass out."

"Will you stay?" Kaiba asked.

"Someone needs to make sure you take care of yourself."

"Thanks." Kaiba shifted a little. "And to answer your question: no, I didn't deliberately try to crash my car. Maybe it was my fault, but it was an accident."

"I know." Yami replied simply.

"Then why did you-?"

"I just wanted to hear you say it."

* * *

"You have to be kidding me."

Kaiba eyes moved from his own reflection in the floor length mirror to Yami's slightly distorted one. Yami looked dangerous; his crimson eyes were burning with fury and Kaiba wasn't sure if he imagined it, but the brunet could have sworn that he saw the Sennen Eye briefly appear on his lover's forehead before fading away just as quickly as it had appeared.

He sighed as he tied his tie with the experience only a seasoned businessman had. The day wasn't going as he had planned; he'd wanted to spend the day with Yami, work through their various problems and misunderstandings.

Something he still, admittedly, didn't feel very comfortable doing.

Kaiba Corp's major shareholders had ruined those plans, however, when they'd called an emergency meeting to discuss the events surrounding his accident. It was all over the news, of course, and everyone had their own opinions on the matter. Suicide, not surprisingly, was the most common rumor floating about. His publicist was arranging a press conference to reassure the masses that the CEO had no intention of offing himself any time soon, and if Kaiba was lucky then everyone so _concerned_ about him would find someone else to focus their attention on.

"You should be resting." Yami growled as he began making the large bed they'd spent the night in.

"You don't--." Kaiba objected immediately.

"I know." Yami snapped. The former pharaoh pulled and tugged at the expensive Egyptian cotton linens ruthlessly.

Kaiba decided not to comment.

"I'm not going in to work, Yami. The shareholders just want to make sure I'm not about to throw myself out of my office window." Kaiba, finally done with his outfit, turned from the mirror and focused all his attention on his lover. "I won't be too long. When I get back we can…talk."

"Who says I'll be here when you get back?"

Kaiba hated the look in Yami's eyes. He hated how the anger had faded away to be replaced by doubt and weariness. The brunet knew he shouldn't blame Yami, but his own patience (the little there was) was melting away.

"You said--."

"I know what I said!" Yami threw the pillow he'd been fluffing onto the bed. It casually slid off the side of the bed and landed on the floor with a dull thud. "I know what I said, but damn it I can already see you throwing yourself into your work and ignoring everything else."

Kaiba growled. He grabbed Yami, spun him around and pushed him down on to the bed before following him down.

"Get off of me." Yami ordered. His eyes were alive with fury again and something stirred deep within the brunet.

_Crimson eyes, beautiful and brimming with barely contained passion and lust looked up at him. "Get off me, Seto." He said breathlessly, but his voice, a demigod's voice, still rang with authority. Only a fool or a brave man would dare disobey him._

_Seto considered himself to be a little bit of both. _

_"Shimon will have a fit if I'm late again." _

_Seto, grinning now, leaned forward until their lips were inches apart. "You're already late, so I guess now we can only make sure that you really deserve the old man's ire." He said before claiming barely protesting lips with his own._

"Kaiba! Get off of me."

"No." Kaiba said. Yami tried to protest again but was successfully silenced with a bruising kiss. It was amazing; the same and yet somehow more than any other kiss they'd ever shared. Yami made a sound in the back of his throat and gave in to the wonderful ministrations of Kaiba's tongue. For a brief moment, anyway. Kaiba, meanwhile, prided himself on another victory when he was quite suddenly shoved off of the pharaoh with a strength that very few people knew the small man possessed.

"Go." Yami ordered.

Kaiba sat up. "We'll talk when I get back." He repeated stubbornly.

Yami said nothing. The silence followed Kaiba out of the room and was somehow worse than any objections the former pharaoh could have made.

* * *

Yami wasn't in the mansion when Kaiba returned. The brunet wasn't surprised that Yami had decided to leave, but it still annoyed him. He wanted to go out and find the former pharaoh so that they could work things out and move on from this hurdle in their relationship, but his body had other ideas.

What little energy he'd had that morning was completely gone. His body now ached with immense fatigue and his head felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it - repeatedly. Kaiba was no stranger to being tired or having severe headaches, but usually he had his iron will to keep himself going. Now, his will to continue was gone and there was nothing to drive him forward. The brunet gave in to his body's commands, and when he finally reached his bedroom, he didn't even bother undressing before falling down on his bed.

Kaiba felt a fingers carding through his hair. He couldn't stop himself from groaning in contentment and if he'd been more awake he would have embarrassed about how absolutely needy he sounded. It only felt like a few minutes since he'd lain down, but his mind vaguely registered that his room was completely dark, and that someone had dressed him down to his boxers and had thrown a blanket over him.

"I'm sorry I woke you, but you need to eat something." Yami said.

Kaiba saw the shadowy figure of the tray of food on his bedside table and his stomach grumbled eagerly. The food was nothing special - it was only a bowl chicken noodle soup with a few breadsticks on the side and a large glass of water, but it tasted good and he genuinely appreciated it. Kaiba made sure to say as much.

"You're welcome." Yami smiled faintly, but it quickly vanished.

"I thought you didn't want to be here." Kaiba said.

"I didn't." Yami replied frankly. "I don't like being ordered around, Seto." He added.

"I know."

"Then stop doing it."

"Sorry. Old habits die hard, or so they say."

Yami sighed. "I'm not one of your employees. You can't just tell me what to do and expect me to blindly do it with a smile on my face."

"I know."

"_Then stop doing it_." Yami repeated.

There was a moment of silence before Yami decided enough was enough. "I'm here. Are you going to tell me what's been wrong these last couple of weeks?"

Kaiba placed the tray on his bedside table and thanked Yami when the former pharaoh helped him to steady it. He'd finished the soup and most of the breadsticks, and was surprised that he was already beginning to feel somewhat better.

"I've been having dreams. Visions."

Yami frowned. "About what?"

"What do you think I've been having dreams about? About you as the pharaoh and that damn priest. About things that happened and the things he did. Things you were forced to do to save your people and his worthless life."

Kaiba was more than a little taken aback when Yami started laughing.

"What are you laughing about?" Kaiba asked, his voice soft and harsh. Of all of Yami's reactions, laughing hadn't been one of them. He'd expected the former pharaoh to understand to some degree. Wasn't he always the one that went on and on about the ancient past?

"I'm sorry, but you've been acting like an ass because you've been having _dreams_. Dreams about something you are convinced isn't even real." Yami shook his head and laughed again, but Kaiba realized it wasn't an amused laugh. It sounded bitter, and the light in his crimson eyes wasn't one of happiness or delight.

"It's not just the dreams." Kaiba decided to continue when Yami's dark chuckles subsided. "It's almost as if the two worlds are meshing together. One minute I'm here, with you, and the next I'm somewhere else. The lines between reality and dreams are blurring, and I'm losing control of _everything_."

Yami was quiet for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Kaiba was tempted to respond with the obvious, "I'm telling you now". He didn't, and instead replied as honestly as he could.

"I was - am - feeling helpless and you think I'm just going to sit back and admit that? If I don't have control then I have nothing. I knew that and I panicked. I was determined to fix things on my own so I pushed you away instead of telling you about something as stupid as a few dreams. I wasn't fixing it, though." The brunet sighed. "I wasn't even close."

There was no pity in Yami's eyes and Kaiba was grateful. There was a sadness in them, however, and Kaiba was overcome with the need to touch his lover. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Yami's own. The former pharaoh squeezed his hand, and held on tightly.

"It's not just that." Kaiba added. "The dreams and visions almost seem like a warning. Sometimes it's not the pharaoh I see dying or being claimed by the shadows for millennia, but you. There's no proof that it's a warning and I'm pretty sure it's nothing, but the fact that it has happened and could happen again unnerves me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Seto."

"You can't promise me that." Kaiba snapped.

Yami sighed. "You're right. I can't."

Kaiba leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Now you know why I've been acting like an idiot. Because of stupid dreams."

"You've been acting like an idiot, yes, but the dreams themselves aren't stupid. I… I have…" Yami's voice trailed off and he looked down at their linked hands.

"You what? You've been having them too?"

Yami shrugged. "They're not nearly as vivid as yours seem to be, or occur as often. Mostly I dream about the puzzle. About being locked in there and knowing, but not remembering, the faces of the people I love."

"Yami…"

"No." Yami's eyes spoke of a firm determination. "I won't live my life in fear of what might happen and I won't let you either. I've been given a second chance - I've been given you and wonderful friends, and I'm not going to waste it worrying about what the future might bring."

"Yami…" Kaiba tried only to be interrupted by Yami once again. Not by his words, but by his lips. The kiss was soft and chaste, wonderful in its simplicity, and Kaiba allowed himself to forget about what he wanted to say.

"You worry too much."

"So, what? Everything's fine and we can just forget about it?"

"No." The seriousness in Yami's voice had returned. "You and I aren't done talking, I think, but that can wait until tomorrow. I'm tired. Worrying about you is hard work."

Kaiba moved over and made some room for his lover. A part of him couldn't believe he'd just told Yami the truth. It had been easier than he'd imagined it would be, but Kaiba wasn't a fool and he knew that fixing things between them was just beginning. He was just grateful that he'd been given the chance. The dreams were still a problem; Kaiba wasn't sure when or if they would stop, but he would handle it without handing over the power of his life. And, they both knew, that there could still be something or someone out there desperate for Yami and the puzzle's power, but they would handle that together _if_ someone threatened them and what they held dear.

With those thoughts, the brunet tightened his grip on Yami and promised himself that he wouldn't let go.

Not for anything.

Fin.

* * *

**A/N: I know a lot of you will think the ending blunt and really bad. I will say, however, that ending the fic with four chapters was the plan from the beginning. **

**I would also like to address the, "That's it? Where's the big evil? Where are the battles?" questions that I'm sure everyone's wondering. From the beginning this was about Kaiba and really nothing else. There was no "big evil". Only Kaiba, his pride and his fears. I've always thought that Kaiba was his own greatest enemy and I wanted to play with that for a bit. Now, like they said up top, that doesn't mean there isn't **_**someone**_** out there who'd like to take over the world, but for now, that person is not important. **

**I'm also sure a lot of you are upset that Yami forgave Kaiba so quickly. Well he has, and he hasn't. I hinted that they have a lot of talking to do and the reason I didn't write it is because , quite frankly, it's very boring to keep going on and on about it. And if it's boring to write then it must be boring to read. And like I said, I never wanted this to be a drama about the one being as hard headed as the other.**

**Anyway, a HUGE thank you again to everyone who read this.  
**

**Well, that's it from me. Until next time. ^_^  
**


End file.
